It is largely a low-key week with NA MPs on leave, a public holiday and only a handful of meetings scheduled.
The main point of interest is the President’s joint address on Tuesday. Convening an address to both Houses is a rare occurrence and is generally reserved for the State ...
This session runs for five weeks and will be packed with activities. Some of the highlights include Committee and oversight work; oral questions to the Executive; important debates; training of lawmakers and the Women’s Parliament. In addition, Parliament will begin the appointment process for several government bodies and consider a ...
On the 18th of July 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the deployment of 1320 members of the SANDF to various parts of the Western Cape. The SANDF is tasked with working with the SAPS to prevent and combat crime in these areas
This deployment of the SANDF will last for ...
After several intense weeks, there is a slight lull in the parliamentary agenda for the coming week.
Most of the significant business is in the main chambers while the Committee corridor takes a backseat. The programme has a distinct end of term feel as members of the National Assembly depart ...
It’s another week where Parliament’s schedule is dominated by Budget Vote Debates.
These debates happen in the mini-plenary sittings of the National Assembly and are headlined by Ministers, their deputies, party leaders and senior MPs.
This period is usually frenetic as lawmakers jump from Committee work to attending budget vote ...
By Pierre De Vos
The South African Constitution does not provide any clarity on the nature of the relationship between extra-parliamentary political parties and their elected representatives in the national and provincial legislatures. Can extra-parliamentary leaders of political parties dictate to their MPs how to exercise their constitutional duties, including ...
By Firoz Cachalia
Some years ago I brought back from Siena copies of two famous frescoes painted by Lorenzetti depicting good and bad government. The first shows idyllic scenes of virtuous rulers, happy citizens and a prosperous society; the second shows dystopian scenes of selfish rule, injustice and famine, thus ...
Increasingly, the courts are being called on to settle disputes that should be dealt with by other constitutional or political institutions.
Jacob Zuma. Picture: REUTERS/Rogan Ward
SA is awash with court cases between political actors. Hardly a week goes by without a civil society organisation or a political party approaching ...
The President's oral question session is the high point of the parliamentary week. He is required to answer questions of national or international importance once per term in accordance with the annual parliamentary programme. The questions are sifted and published beforehand in a process involving the Speaker, to ensure that ...
"We are not a homogenous group of people, because we come from a very divisive political past. We have differences as individuals but what binds us together is that we are one nation and we have a shared vision for the future and our common destiny."
What is your political ...